Trial to begin for E. Northport woman charged in theft of charity money from teen

Maureen Myles, 62, was arrested by the Suffolk County District Attorney's office in 2013 for allegedly stealing the proceeds of a fundraiser to buy a wheelchair accessible van for a Huntington teenager. Photo Credit: SCDA

The bench trial for an East Northport woman indicted on a charge of stealing charity money from a teen begins in Central Islip on Wednesday, Suffolk prosecutors said.

Maureen Myles, 62, was arrested by the Suffolk County District Attorney's office in 2013 and charged with stealing more than $30,000 from a fundraiser to buy a wheelchair accessible van for a Huntington teen, the district attorney's office said in a news release Tuesday.

Myles has a past conviction for grand larceny and scheme to defraud, Spota's office said: In 2004, she was convicted of both charges after she made unauthorized purchases of cruise tickets with 19 credit card numbers she had taken from her job, which were charged to the accounts of card holders.

According to a Newsday story from 2011, Myles was at that time an organizer for a group called the Trinity Program, a Huntington social services agency that was planning its annual Drive for Love fundraiser. That year, the proceeds from the event were supposed to be used to purchase a wheelchair-lift-equipped van for a Huntington teen with cerebral palsy.

Attorney information for Myles was not immediately available Tuesday night.